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Today I’m talking with Cath Muller of Radical Routes, Cornerstone Housing Co-op and Co-operative Business Consultants. This is part 1 of our conversation, about her visit to Catalan co-operatives, and hitch-hiking across the Atlantic to visit US co-ops. Read more

Emily Fawcett and Charlie Loram of the Old Way look at some of the less obvious benefits of harvesting wild foods as our ancestors did. Read more

Anybody considering going on a WWOOFing adventure for the first time will benefit enormously from these 10 tips compiled by Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK. Read more

An interview with Alex Lawrie about his attempts to launch Go-op, a co-operative train line linking south west England with the Midlands. Read more

Sigi Koko outlines the pros, cons and considerations when it comes to making non-toxic natural paints from the simplest of ingredients. Read more

Rowland Keable of Earth Building UK and Ireland shares news of a mini but mighty Clayfest 2019 with the theme of building confidence in clay. Read more

We meet Pat Conaty, senior research fellow at NEF and Co-operatives UK and co-author of the Resilience Imperative, to discuss ‘the commons’. Read more

If it’s warm in February the bees will be in trouble. Nick Mann of Habitat Aid explains how you can help with plants for bees in your garden. Read more

Calling all activists, practitioners and policy-makers! We share news of a masterclass in movement building in the form of a massive open online course (MOOC) starting on 25th March 2019. Read more

The Ecological Land Cooperative is looking for a part-time Planning Manager, with an application deadline of 15 April 2019. Read more

In Part 2 of our interview with Graham Mitchell of Co-Tech, we talk about growing the co-operative economy and the barriers we might face. Read more

Scarlett Penn of WWOOF UK recounts an illuminating evening of music and debate, after encountering a pheasant-shooting party in a Shropshire pub. Read more

We talk about growing a co-operative commonwealth in the second part of an interview with Pat Conaty, senior research fellow at NEF and Co-operatives UK and author of the Resilience Imperative, with Michael Lewis. Read more

The European Straw Bale Gathering is heading to the UK for the very first time in August 2019. Learn all about it here. Read more

We learn about the best trees and shrubs to use to make a windbreak for your garden or smallholding with Nick Mann of Habitat Aid. Read more

Dil Green shares a Transcender Manifesto for groups to develop networks of transcendent social relations for a world beyond capitalism. Read more

We hear from the team behind a host of new UK events and festivals putting veganism firmly in the limelight in 2019 from Scotland to Devon. Read more

Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design shares her top tips for building a low-cost, high-performing living green roof. Read more

We talk with Paul Chatterton of LILAC community in Leeds about what’s different when it comes to mutual home ownership societies in community-led housing. Read more

Jessie Watson Brown, a UK traditional tanner, shares some of her experiences and learnings from a winter at Jutulskinn, a traditional tannery in Norway. Read more

We hear from Joe Duirwyn of Hartwyn about a fantastic free natural building learning opportunity running from June to September 2019. Read more

Big news as the Open Credit Network launches a website and conducts its first trades, laying the foundations of a moneyless trading system for the UK. Read more

Keen to repair your clothes? You’re not alone! We hear from Anca at Ethical.net about a growing movement challenging fast fashion. Read more

… and a special offer for our readers! We hear from Eileen Sutherland of The School of Natural Building about the straw-bale building event of the year, happening for the first time in the UK this summer. Read more

Today, we’re talking with Hilary Wainwright – an academic, activist, editor of Red Pepper magazine, and a fellow of the Transnational Institute (TNI). Read more

No garden? No problem! In the first of a new series from the Mushroom Guide, Benedict Noel considers why shiitake mushrooms make a great starting point for anyone new to mushroom growing, particularly in an urban environment. Read more

We hear from the Ecological Land Cooperative about exciting opportunities ahead for aspiring ecological farmers to apply for a small farm lease. Read more

Today we’re talking with Jay Tompt, of the REconomy Project. This is part of a series of interviews with people who are helping to build a new economy. Read more

We learn how to fruit shiitake mushroom blocks with Benedict Noel of The Mushroom Guide. It’s possible to grow shiitake mushrooms with very little equipment. If you’re a novice, this is the best place to start. Read more

Looking ahead to a future post-capitalism, Dil Green of NonCorporate.org shares how and why he’s working on mutual credit as one of its core pillars. This piece was originally published on the blog ‘Digital Anthropology‘. Read more

Unsure where to start when it comes to second-hand stoves? Mark Benson of Bowland Stoves explores the pros and cons of the second-hand wood and multi-fuel stove market and what you should consider ahead of a purchase. Read more

In Part 3 of The Mushroom Guide, Benedict Noel enjoys the fruits of his labour harvesting shiitake mushroom blocks, as he continues his step-by-step tutorial. Read more

Here’s your chance! We hear from Ele and Anthony at Pentiddy Woods about a unique learning opportunity on offer from October 2019. Read more

In Part 4 of The Mushroom Guide with Benedict Noel, learn how to create your own bags of fruiting substrate for shiitake mushrooms, using sawdust, bran and a pressure cooker. Read more

Taking place in Arlington, East Sussex, on 29th June 2019, the Ecological Land Cooperative AGM 2019 is your chance to learn more about their important work – and check out their brand new barn! Lauren Simpson tells us more. Read more

Eloïse Sentito of These Isles pens an open letter to Paul Mason, in which she poses 10 questions arising from his book ‘Postcapitalism: a Guide to our Future’, that she hopes will be addressed in his new book ‘Clear Bright Future’. Read more

David Thorpe of One Planet Life shares the ideas and aspirations behind his new book One Planet Cities, outlining his vision for sustainable urban communities. Read more

Inoculating fruiting substrate: sounds a little daunting, no? Fear not – Benedict Noel explains all in Part 5 of his Mushroom Guide for beginners keen to grow their own shiitake mushrooms. Read more

Dave Darby explores the ‘Preston Model’ and Community Wealth Building in an interview with Frances Northrop of the New Economics Foundation. Read more

The Wool Journey returns, as The Natural Fibre Company’s Sue Blacker explores the question of single versus plied yarn and an intriguingly named tool called the Bulkometer. Read more

Benedict Noel shares how to scale up your mushroom production, preparing mushroom spawn using grain to then inoculate sawdust bags. Read more

Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 1 of her new fishing for food series, Jessie Watson Brown tackles the gear you’ll need to get started, with the help of Charlie Loram. Read more

Low-impact forestry hub and much more besides, the Hilliyfield are looking for volunteers to help with their barn-building project on Dartmoor this summer. Doug King-Smith tells us more. Read more

As summertime nears, Nick Mann of Habitat Aid shares a snapshot of a Somerset meadow, rediscovering the extraordinary ordinary of the nature found within. Read more

The stated aim of the annual CTRLshift gathering (that took place in Stoke-on-Trent recently) is to bring key people together to talk about practical steps to help shift power away from central government and multinational corporations, to communities and individuals. Well, you had me at ‘decentralisation’, so I went along. Read more

Destroyed habitats, blocked drains and that’s just for starters. After decades working to support farming and agriculture in various government agencies, Peter Hull shares his views on why farm hedge trimming needs to change. Read more

Mushroom grower extraordinaire Benedict Noel explains how to prepare mushroom spawn using a pressure cooker, as his Mushroom Guide series continues. Read more

The Marine Conservation Society is challenging people to get through July single-use plastic free. Could you rise to the challenge? Clare Fischer explains how to take part. Read more

We hear from Oliver Sylvester-Bradley about exciting opportunities to collaborate at the OPEN 2019 Community Gathering, taking place in London next week. Read more

As you know if you follow this blog, Lowimpact.org and the Open Co-op have partnered up to build a mutual credit network for the UK, the Open Credit Network (OCN), and that we have people on board who are working to develop the ‘credit commons’ – a way of linking together mutual credit schemes anywhere… Continue reading Come to our public event on the Open Credit Network, July 18th, London Read more

Community currency engineer Matthew Slater shares his latest thoughts, joining the dots on the current climate crisis and what the near future may hold for human civilisation. Read more

The yarn is ready to package up at The Natural Fibre Company’s spinning mill, as Sue Blacker shares the final leg of The Wool Journey. Read more

In the wake of Facebook’s recent announcement, community currency engineer Matthew Slater asks if Libra coin is poised to conquer the world. Read more

Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 2 of her Fishing for Food series, Jessie Watson Brown chats with Charlie Loram about the when and where of starting fishing. Read more

We learn how to work with liquid mushroom cultures as The Mushroom Guide with Benedict Noel continues. Read more

Dave Darby interviews Micky Metts of Agaric, based in Boston, Massachusetts, who is active in both the co-operative and free/open source movements. Read more

Sue Blacker takes us on a final tour of The Natural Fibre Company’s spinning mill to learn all about labelling yarn. Turns out there’s plenty to it! Read more

We talk about a strategy for challenging the giant corporate platforms in Part 2 of an interview with Duncan McCann, who’s working on a platform co-op alternative to Über in Brighton. Read more

Dr Kevin Blockley shares how the Out of Eden project is creating a unique educational experience that immerses us in the hunter gathering world of our ancestors and our first experiments in farming. Read more

A jellylike substance derived from seaweed, Benedict Noel sets out the role of agar cultures in Part 9 of his Mushroom Guide. Read more

Benedict Noel of The Mushroom Guide shares his tried and tested alternatives to single use plastic in mushroom growing. Read more

Working wonders or potentially harmful? Dr Andrew Rollinson examines the scientific research surrounding biochar to date, including his own personal experiments. Read more

Today I’m talking with Matthew Slater, author of the Credit Commons white paper – an idea to link together mutual credit schemes anywhere in the world to create a global, moneyless trading system. Read more

People usually conflate the two, but I want to try to persuade (mainly the right) that capitalism is nothing like a free market, and (mainly the left) that there’s nothing wrong with a truly free market. Read more

We hear from Ruby Taylor of Native Hands about her recent trip to the Lake District, learning how to craft an oak swill with basket maker Owen Jones. Read more

Ziggy Liloia of The Year of Mud in Kentucky, USA, shares his how-to guide for shou sugi ban, preserving wood using fire as practised in traditional Japanese timber building. It’s a thing of beauty! Read more

This is part 2 of a conversation with Micky Metts of Agaric – a co-op in Boston, Massachusetts that provides online tools for other co-ops. Part 1 is here. I told Micky about some of the meetings and discussions we’ve been having in the UK with people working to build ‘new economy’ infrastructure, like community… Continue reading Networking small businesses and co-ops to replace corporations: Micky Metts on the new economy Read more

Ziggy of The Year of Mud shares a how-to guide for scribing wood to stone, with a project fitting a wooden timber frame on to a stone foundation. Read more

Are you keen to downsize and downshift? Chris from Loosehanger Oak shares his top tips for tiny home living in a small timber building. Read more

The Landworkers’ Alliance will be joining a host of partners to put farming, food and climate justice centre stage this October. Here’s how you can join them on the Good Food March 2019 in London. Read more

Chris Smaje of Vallis Veg and Small Farm Future shares his thoughts as to why the elephant in the room is capitalism. Maybe. It’s over to Chris from here… Read more

Are you fired up to find practical solutions to the climate crisis? If so, this job opportunity as a Project Officer with Big Solar Co-op could be right up your street. Over to Jon Hallé at Sharenergy to tell us more. Read more

This is the second part of an interview with Cath Muller of Radical Routes (here’s the first part). Cath hitch-hiked across the Atlantic on a sailing boat, to visit co-operatives in the States. I talked with her about the differences between co-ops over there and in the UK. Read more

Ever fancied fishing for your supper but don’t know where to begin? In Part 3 of her Fishing for Food series, Jessie Watson Brown explores fishing with lobster pots. Possibly a more efficient approach to fishing – once you have put the pot in, it does the fishing for you, leaving you free for a… Continue reading Getting started with fishing for food: Part 3 – Lobster pots Read more

I’m too busy to have a vegetable garden. I don’t have the mental energy to think about when it’s time to buy seeds, to plant them, water them, prick them out into pots, dig the garden, plant them, and then continue to water them, weed them and harvest them. Read more

There have been some developments in the planning system that might allow a lot more people to build their own home. First, here’s some background. Read more

I’ve never been without a bike until recently. As far back into my childhood as I can remember, I always had one. A bike was always part of my life, part of me. Read more

It’s that time of year again when the fab folks at OrganicLea invite grape-growing Londoners to join their community wine-making scheme. It’s over to Craig to tell us more, with a useful guide to harvesting grapes to boot. Read more

Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for September, with stress-busting nettle seeds the star of the show as autumn approaches. Read more

Here’s a delivery job with a difference, on offer from Sutton Community Farm in south London. It’s over to them to tell us more. Read more

Today I’m talking with Alice Brown of Sutton Community Farm. I’m interested in looking at how we produce food in the new economy. The current system is a disaster in terms of environment and wealth concentration. Read more

I recently interviewed Trevor Hilder, a specialist in the viable system model. I’ve been interested in it for a while, since I heard from credible sources that it could be a valuable tool for building the new economy. Read more

You’ve picked your apples but what to do now? Learn how to make the best of the harvest with Nick Mann’s brief guide to how to store apples over the winter. Read more

Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design shares her top tips for how to plaster straw-bale walls with clay, beginning with the first, or base, coat. Read more

This is part 2 of a conversation with Alice Brown of Sutton Community Farm. In Part 1 we talked about why CSA farms are such a good idea. This time we talk more about Sutton Community Farm and the future of community-supported agriculture within the food industry. Read more

Hosted by the UK for the first time last month, Lowimpact.org’s Sophie Paterson shares her reflections on the European Straw Bale Gathering 2019. Read more

As autumn draws in, sweet chestnut season is soon approaching. Bushcraft teacher David Willis shares how he bakes tasty roasted sweet chestnut bread on an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven. Read more

I’m excited to report that we’ve been given an hour on the main stage at Extinction Rebellion in the Mall on Thursday afternoon from 2pm. When I say ‘we’, it will be me and Oliver Sylvester-Bradley of the Open Co-op – we’ll speak for 10 minutes each, then take questions for 40 minutes. We’ll be… Continue reading We’re on the Extinction Rebellion main stage in central London on Thursday afternoon Read more

Love veg and love organising things? Sutton Community Farm are on the lookout for a VegBox Logistics Coordinator to cover maternity leave. Over to Alice Brown to tell us more. Read more

Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for October with a delicious fruit leather recipe we can’t wait to try… Read more

Sigi Koko of Down to Earth Design shares her tips and tricks for how to plaster straw-bale walls with clay, this time tackling the second coat. Read more

Providing safe passage for wildlife and a sturdy windbreak, Nick Mann of Habitat Aid shares his views on the rich rural tradition of hedgelaying and why he’s such a fan. Read more

Today Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org / NonCorporate.org is talking with Lynn Foster of Mikorizal and the Value Flows model. We’ve heard some very good things about her work, together with her partner, Bob Haugen. Read more

As the winter months approach here in the UK, natural builder Ziggy Liloia of The Year of Mud goes back to basics to explore the differences between insulation and thermal mass, and why they matter. Read more

Sharif Adams, traditional bowl turner and spoon carver tells the story of the Bowl Gathering, from humble beginnings to a thriving gathering of craft revival. Read more

We’d love to know what you think about this debate, between David, treasurer of Transition Town Tooting, and Dave of Lowimpact.org about whether giving up flying has any effect on climate change. Read more

Here’s the second part of our interview with Lynn Foster of Mikorizal and the Value Flows model. Part 1 is here. Read more

Living in an urban flat with no access to outdoor space and yearn for greenery? Our friends at Ethical.net have got it covered with their guide to how to start a small garden in your apartment. Read more

Can elections really change anything? Dave Darby of Lowimpact.org shares his views on the question in the run-up to the general election. Read more

Learn how you can soothe your sore throat sugar-free with rosehip vinegar, as Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her November forage of the month. Read more